Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced in May that she would not seek re-election to a second term. She has yet to reveal her next big plans, but going back to school could be one of them. Bottoms will be the first honorary fellow of The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute, a new initiative aimed at training people to lead historically Black colleges and universities.
Clark Atlanta University will host the program. Bottoms’ term as mayor of Atlanta will end in January 2022, and one of her new responsibilities as a fellow will be to speak to the first group of fellows.
“For more than 150 years, HBCUs have not only played an important role in American higher education, but also in building stronger communities and world-class leaders in every sector of society. As a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, I am excited to accept this honorary fellowship and support HBCU ELI’s efforts to ensure this legacy continues,” Bottoms told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute aims to serve as an incubator for recruiting and developing the next generation of leaders for over 100 HBCUs. The new innovative program includes a roster that is 58% women, making it the nation’s most diverse cohort of future HBCU leaders.
There are about 100 HBCUs in the United States, with nine in Georgia. HBCUs educated more than half of Black lawyers in the United States, as well as 70% of Black doctors and dentists. The average tenure of an HBCU president is three years, according to the AJC, which is about half the time span of all U.S. colleges and universities. The institute wants to teach people who will be able to lead for a longer period of time. The inaugural class of fellows currently has 26 members.
“Mayor Bottoms is experienced, intelligent, and has a strong commitment to the next generation of women leaders. As an alumna of Florida A&M University, she continues to remind us that HBCUs can indeed create leaders who help solve society’s most pressing challenges, even in the face of crisis,” said Dr. George T. French, Jr., president of Clark Atlanta University to the news outlet.
